15 years ago, I was paying my dues as a kitchen designer, working 6 days a week at a very popular kitchen dealer in North Jersey. That place was a design mill – we had to crank out 3 appointments per day, everyday, with constant pressure to “close the deals.” It was an old-school mentality but it was effective in terms of bottom line for the boss.

I was in the middle of a particularly crazy week when I met a wonderful woman for her 7pm appointment. She came in with a folder and sat down at my desk with a huge smile on her face. Being in the midst of the madness my schedule was creating, I was a shell of myself, going through the motions of pleasantries and trying to get the ball rolling with her design. But she took her time. She opened the folder to reveal pictures she had cut out of magazines that inspired her for her dream kitchen.

Some of the pictures looked old and outdated, so I asked her, “Mary, how old are these?” She went on to tell me that she had been building this folder for 20 years! She subscribed to multiple magazines, and every time she found something she loved, she’d cut it out and tuck it way in her folder.

Wow! That was an epiphany for me. This poor woman had been dreaming about this moment for 2 decades – putting her children through school and college, working and putting money aside, all leading up to this very moment. And here I was, about to treat her like just another number because of the the high-pressure environment.

The weight of the moment crashed down on me. How could I possibly not give this woman my absolute best? I needed to dig down past the sales-speak, connect with her on a creative level and deliver the kitchen she deserved. In the end, Mary brought out the best in me, and in return, she got the kitchen she always wanted.